Optic cables comprise a large number of optical fibers which may be grouped into sub-units of optical transmission elements. Each of the optical transmission elements contains a bundle of the optical fibers which are surrounded by a polymeric tube. The tube may be formed around the optical fibers by an extrusion process. By way of example, each of the tubes of an optic cable can be filled with fiber counts up to 36. To identify the individual fibers within the tube, fibers are colored and additionally coded with marks. The tubes are limited in their bend performance because of the stiffness of the material provided for the tubes. Furthermore, the strength of the material of the tubes prevents an easy access to the individual optical fibers housed within the tubes. Hence, to access individual optical fibers within the tube a tool, for example a knife or a razor plate, has to be used to slit the tube so that a single optical fiber can be taken out of the cable.
During the last years high-speed data transmission has become more and more important. Especially in data centers huge amounts of data are exchanged between servers with bit rates of up to several 10 Gb. An increase of the speed of transmission can be provided by transmitting bits via the optical fibers in a parallel manner. Assuming an optical transmission element containing twelve optical fibers, this technique allows that data are transmitted parallel over the twelve optical fibers. In high-speed data networks a time delay (skew) between different bits transferred via the optical fibers of an optical transmission element of a fiber optic cable is usually not allowed to be larger than 0.75 ns when data are transmitted via an optical cable having a length of 300 m. This is a very stringent requirement for standard optical transmission elements.
The requirements concerning the low time delay between signals which have to be transferred parallel via different optical fibers may currently only be fulfilled with fiber optic ribbons. A fiber optic ribbon comprises a large number of up to 36 optical fibers which are arranged in a horizontal plane and embedded in an acrylate matrix material. However, fiber optic ribbons have a limited bend performance and, hence, the use of fiber optic ribbons is generally avoided if the cables have to be used for indoor applications wherein the cables often have to be installed in buildings around corners.
There is a demand to provide an optical transmission element being highly flexible which allows a parallel data transmission via the optical fibers of the optical transmission element with a low time delay of signals transferred via different optical fibers of the optical transmission element. Furthermore, it is desirable to specify a method for manufacturing an optical transmission element which is highly flexible and which allows a parallel data transmission via the optical fibers with a low time delay between different optical fibers of the optical transmission element.